AWS User Hijacking

Triggers

• After enumerating users in the environment, add an access key to another user in the environment.

Possible Root Causes

• An attacker is expanding access to additional users within the environment.
• Authorized IT Automation is using access keys to interact on behalf of other users within the environment.

Business Impact

• Lateral movement may indicate that an adversary has established a foothold in the environment and is progressing towards their objective, increasing the risk of material impact.

Steps to Verify

• Investigate the account context that performed the action for other signs of malicious activity.
• Validate that any modifications are authorized, given the purpose and policies governing this resource.
• If review indicates possible malicious actions or high-risk configuration, revert configuration and disable credentials associated with this alert then perform a comprehensive investigation.